Do you have a present opening routine?

[ThePlantKiller]

Growing up, DSis and I would find our presents all set out, unwrapped, on the sofa so there wasn't much in the way of actual present opening when I was a kid and our parents would still be lying in bed long after we had started playing with our new toys.

For several years now DH and I have the kids bring their stockings into our room and we watch them look through them, before we all go downstairs together and everyone takes a turn opening a present. I'd say I much prefer this to my own experience growing up.

What does everyone else do, I'd love to hear what your traditions are (if you have any - a paper ripping frenzy is possibly a tradition of sorts too!)

Get up. Sort presents into a pile for each of us. Open one each in turn. Me, DH and two adult sons 🤪

Same as what you do now. Growing up we opened stockings on mum's bed so she could watch us. We then opened main presents after dinner and would all sit and take turns and watch. I now do this with my son and husband.

Kids wake up, grab their stockings, run into our room and we all open stockings together on the bed. Then we get up, go downstairs, DH and I make a cup of tea then we sit and open presents before having breakfast. I love that even though DDs are now 20 and 15 they still come to our room to do stockings. My fave bit.

We put a stocking in their rooms. They go into one of their bedrooms and open them together. It is so cute theyve done this since they were little and now as young tween / teen. Sibling bonding time.

then they come get us and go into the lounge. We cover the door opening in wrapping paper so they burst through. This is their highlight.

after that they start opening presents, taking turns to hand me and dh ones too.

Stockings and father Christmas presents at the bottom of the beds. As a child we had them without parents (,they weren't wrapped). Then presents under the tree at 6pm.

I wrapped father Christmas presents but still on the bed but they brought them into my bed to open. Still under tree (family) presents at 6pm.

Now my DD does the same but my grandson has split Christmas' so we might open presents on Christmas Eve or boxing day or middle of the afternoon. Adults do theirs at usual time of 6pm.

Always handed out one at a time to unwrap before the next one with label read so the person's gift is acknowledged.

Stocking opening in our bed is the best (although I would prefer it an hour or so later!). Them we go down and open a few presents, then breakfast then a few more presents, then the in-laws come and have a chat then more presents ( DH in kitchen getting on with the dinner) then call other relatives to say happy Christmas and thank you, then eat, then it's a free for all on the remaining presents. We always save a few for after dinner to extend the day. Then veg in front of the telly and eat chocs, then a picky leftover tea/ cheese and crackers, then more chocs and a film, then kids to bed and grown up time. Bliss.

The kids usually take their stockings into one of their bedrooms and open them there. They then come downstairs and DH & I sit with a coffee and watch them open their presents. The only rule is they are only to open one at a time so they all finish the same time (we have 4dc). They are in a hessian sack or placed in a pile in an area of the lounge. When I was growing up there were always 2 or 3 presents placed under the tree for opening after lunch, I would like to do that as the kids get older but now it’s the time to open Grandma’s presents.

As a child we opened our stockings first thing then decamped to Grandparents for a drinks reception thing with canapes about midday with all they're neighbours and friends which I loved, we then came home for Christmas lunch and opened all the main presents after lunch, then to the other GP on Boxing Day to receive presents from them. We the saw Godparents on NYD for more presents to exchange. As a child I found this very drawn out but as an adult I really appreciate the family traditions and I glad it wasn't over in an hour as all of my friends seemed to be.

Open stockings, have breakfast, get ready .

Open presents from non family members and presents which might be suitable for the day ahead. So walking boots to wear to walk the dog.

Go to the pub and meet friends then go for aforementioned dog walk.

Get home and open more presents until proper cooking is needed doing

A small table present with dinner usually something silly

Open any other presents

As a kid the waiting till gone 1pm to open main presents was excruciating

We have a rather large family, and if we opened them one-by-one while everybody watched and commented, we would be there until next Christmas.

We have stockings upon waking (we had them in our rooms when I was a child, but my 5 year old is still a git who doesn't sleep so his will be in the living room for him to go down to on Christmas morning to avoid it being unpacked at midnight).

We then opened gifts after Mass, or upon people's arrival at grandparents' houses etc, but before Christmas dinner (served between 1-5pm depending on host).

Somebody would 'be Father Christmas' with the hat on etc (99% of the time a man), who would hand out the gifts one by one to the recipient, who would then start unwrapping immediately. The next gift would be moved onto straight away while the previous person continued to unwrap their gift, and so on, and so forth, until all the gifts were gone.

Father Christmas attempted to hand out the gifts to recipients fairly evenly, so one person wasn't left unwrapped 5 after everybody else had finished and wandered off to find more fizz/pigs in blankets etc.

Stockings opened in the morning before breakfast, rest of pressies opened after lunch.

Stocking is left by fireside (we don't want Santa leaving dirty footprints all over the house) and is grabbed first thing and brought into the bedroom to open together.

Then have breakfast, everyone get ready at their own pace.

Usually start opening tree presents about 10am - someone hands them out until everyone has a few and then we open them, then go again. Reality is the adults watch the children opening first and are fairly slow at opening our own, often pausing and continuing again after lunch, which is usually about 1pm

Growing up: Stockings opened on my parents bed, dad would go down and make him and mum a tea and put the fire on ( and turn the tree lights on but I didn't know that). Youngest child's job to hand out the presents one at a time and we ooh and ahh'd at the gifts. Took forever to open them all. Then get washed and dressed in our new clothes

With DD: stocking opened on my bed, showered and dressed. Then to my parents where we have sausage/bacon rolls, bucks fizz/hot chocolate and wait for my brother/parents to get ready, then into the living room where we open the presents still one at a time but DD is in charge now

We do I guess.

FC leaves one gift for each DC on the end of their bed - they get opened straight away.

Then downstairs, stockings. Then breakfast, then tree gifts.

As a child I would have HATED having to wait my turn to open gifts. I think it sounds a bit regimented and joyless.

We have a rule that no one goes into the living room until the whole family is up. We all gather in the hallway then all go in together and open presents at the same time.

One thing that is different from my childhood as that we stay home. I absolutely hated leaving my shiny new presents at home to go visit friends/family and/or go to a restaurant for Christmas dinner. Much more fun relaxing at home with my Christmas book and a hot chocolate!

Growing up we'd do stocking(s) in my bed (only child!) with DM and DGM and then go downstairs. My main present would be in the middle of the room so I'd have that, and I'd maybe be allowed to open a couple of things after breakfast but otherwise I had to wait until my other GPs arrived and we'd had lunch. Sometimes I wasn't allowed to open anything until gone 3pm, it was torture! But it kept the excitement going a bit, I guess. We had a buffet style meal in the evening, at which point we were usually still opening things!

With my DC, they come into our bed to open stockings, then we get dressed and have breakfast. We go into the living room and they have their big presents, then we slowly work our way through the tree presents. I try to stretch it out a bit (no ripping everything open in ten seconds here) and it usually lasts until quite a way after lunch, with us stopping to build Lego or whatever. Then they can play with their new things for the rest of the day.

We have a smaller, buffet style lunch (12pm) and then our Christmas meal at dinner time (5:30pm), though. We tried it the traditional way for a few years but it didn't work for the DC because they didn't want what they'd consider dinner at lunchtime!

It sounds like most people have stockings in bedrooms?

We have stockings hanging up in fireplace in sitting room, so we don't open them in bed.

Kids come running through to wake us up. DH makes quick coffee for us then we tiptoe over to sitting room, kids peek in, shout "he's been!" then burst in.

Santa presents out on display, unwrapped, each kids pile on a separate couch. Presents from us are wrapped and have been moved from under to the tree to the couch next to Santa presents. Each stocking propped up at front of present pile.

Then just a bit of a free for all.

After all the excitement we open any other presents that are under the tree from friends / relatives, making sure to make a note so we can thank them.

Was much the same when I was growing up.

Husband and I haven't really done presents for each other since the kids came along, due to money / time constraints....always just a small token gift from Santa

We are pretty much always either hosting or staying with family over Christmas, so not just the 4 of us in the house on Christmas morning. My side of the family do: stockings first, in our bedroom (not too early now, as dc are teens). Then everyone gets dressed and has a leisurely breakfast. Then presents. One at a time. If we're at PIL's there's not much of a set routine. Presents tend to happen later.

Dts are 12 now so it's evolved, they he
To open one present from under the tree after mass on Christmas Eve, in the morning they can open their stockings in bed then they bring it through to us to see, then we go down and do turn by turn with nicks fizz and chocolate.

No wrapping.
Presents set up in the living room.
Santa brings them all.

The DC bring their stockings into our room and we open them together, then we all head downstairs and open presents - no waiting in turn or frenzied unwrapping either. Just opening presents together and eating chocolate while we do. There’s not a hope in hell autistic DS could wait any longer! Works best this way, so DC an are occupied playing with their stuff while we crack on with making dinner. As a child I had to wait an eternity before I was allowed to open anything, and it was torture!

No stockings growing up, it was just wrapped presents under the tree. We couldn’t get up till mum and dad were up. Some years we had to get dressed first, one year my mother declared no presents until after church, but the church was next to the working men’s club so we had to go in there after mass so presents weren’t till much later when DF was pissed and mother was kicking off Christmas was ruined.

For us, we’ve introduced stockings and sacks, no idea why.. but everything is put under the tree. We usually wake before DDs, I go downstairs first, put lights, fire & music on and then film DDs coming in the lounge and opening their presents. There is no organisation, everyone just gets stuck in. There tends to be a natural take turns that kids have developed. We don’t go anywhere Christmas Day so no rush cleaning up everyone stays chilling in their pjs until they want to get dressed.

There Would be a big pike under the tree. Someone would dish one or two out, and when we all had them, we’d open them. Then the next lot would be shared out. Etc

Night before when kids asleep and dh is sent to bed I get all the presents out of hiding and put them haphazardly under the tree in no particular order. We have sacks with names on so I stand them up too. Then I sort stockings and put them on door handles. Then in morning I get up alone, put kettle on and make drinks. Put fire on in lounge and tree lights on. So it’s all ready. Make sure the carrot is bitten and the milk drank by Santa.

Then I walk past DD’s doorway and bump into it by “accident”. Get in bed quick pretend to be asleep. She comes running in shouting she has a stocking and we have one too! We open them on our bed. Then dh and I go to the toilet. Dd gets dressing gown on. Then we walk into the kitchen and see the milk and carrot munched. Go into lounge and omg he’s been he’s been!! We get our drinks and sit on sofa and we all open them together as one. We acknowledge what we receive with each other, show what we have got and who gave us the gift so we can thank them later. Dh sometimes takes a break to watch dd open her for a while. It lasts about 2 hours maybe?

We do exactly the same as you do! Kids have always been allowed to open one stocking present before they come up.

We then have a little tree present for boxing day each hidden in the tree. Normally a pair of socks or similar.

My boys are mostly adults now and we still do that if they are home!!